Technical Field
The present invention relates to a portable power working machine of a hand-held type, a shouldering strap type, or another type, and for example, to a portable power working machine, such as an air blowing cleaner that performs cleaning by collecting fallen leaves and rubbishes or a power sprayer that sprays chemicals or the like with the use of air (blown air) discharged from an air blower that is rotationally driven by a driving power source such as an engine or an electric motor.
Background Art
A hand-held air blowing cleaner (power blower) 2 that is one type of the aforementioned portable power working machine, as its conventional example is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B (see also Patent Document 1), is configured such that a centrifugal air blower 15 with a built-in fan is disposed on one side of a body portion 10 made of a synthetic resin, an engine 50 or the like that is a driving power source is disposed on the other side of the body portion 10, an air blowing pipe 55 is connected to an outlet of a fan case (volute case) 20 of the air blower 15, and stands 14 for holding an air blowing cleaner 2 in an upright posture are provided on the lower front and rear sides of the body portion 10. The operator commonly performs cleaning by holding a handle 12 provided on the body portion 10 with one hand (normally the right hand).
A suction port 25 with a circular opening for intake air is provided in the vicinity of the center of one side surface portion (left side surface portion) 20L of the fan case 20 of the air blower 15 such that its center is positioned on the rotational axis of the fan, and a safety guard 60 in a basket shape is provided on the side surface portion 20L of the fan case 20 so as to cover the suction port 25.
The safety guard 60 is designed to prevent fingers from being caught in the suction port 25, for example, and also prevent floating objects such as fallen leaves blown up in the air from being sucked into the suction port 25, and includes a top surface portion 61 on which a circular opening 63 similar to the circular opening of the suction port 25 is provided and a peripheral side portion 62 in a truncated cone shape for allowing the top surface portion 61 (the circular opening 63 thereof) to face the suction port 25 with a predetermined distance therebetween. The circular opening 63 of the top surface portion 61 and the peripheral side portion 62 are provided with lattices 66 and 67, respectively, each of which has a predetermined geometric pattern.
In the air blowing cleaner 2 configured in the aforementioned manner, when the fan of the air blower 15 is rotationally driven by the engine 50, the external air passes through each of the apertures of the lattices 66 and 67 of the safety guard 60 so as to be sucked from the suction port 25 into the fan case 20. The sucked air is pressurized and accelerated inside the fan case 20 and blown out via the air blowing pipe 55 that is connected to a discharge port provided on the upper front side of the fan case 20, and the air (blown air) blown out is used for collecting fallen leaves and rubbishes to perform cleaning work.